Details for the Funeral

Hello everyone. We thought it would be helpful to share details for Billy's funeral and related events.  Anyone is welcome to join us for any of the following events.

In Memory of WO William McCotter

Billy's Viewing
Monday, March 28, 2011
6:00-8:00pm
Murphy Funeral Home
4510 Wilson Boulevard.
Arlington, VA 22203

Billy's Funeral
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
3:00pm
Arlington National Cemetery
Arlington, VA

Billy earned the privilege of having a full honors funeral and burial in Arlington National Cemetery (ANC).  General information regarding funerals at Arlington can be found here.

The ceremony will begin at the Old Post Chapel.  Information regarding the full honors chapel service can be found here.  (Note:  These are instructions written for the religious officiant, but they are generally helpful for everyone who will attend.  Also, if you click the links, you will see diagrams which are helpful if like visuals.)

After the chapel service, everyone will process to the graveside for an in ground burial service.  Billy will be buried in section 60, which is quite distant from the chapel, so you may wish to drive to the graveside.  A map of ANC can be found here.  (The chapel can be found on the upper right portion of the map, and section 60 is in the center, toward the bottom.  Information regarding the full honors procession and graveside service can be found here.  (Note:  Again, these instructions are written for the religious officiant.  Also, the acronym OIC stands for "Officer in Charge.")

A note on time...  Every day, there are a large number of funerals in Arlington.  The funeral service will start promptly on time, and will proceed quickly.

A note on gates and security...  Arlington National Cemetery is a military installment.  As such, there are procedures and expectations regarding security, and your vehicle will receive an inspection when you enter the base.  If your vehicle does not have a DoD (Department of Defense) sticker, enter Ft. Myer via Hatfield Gate or Wright Gate.  You will need a government-issued ID for every adult in the vehicle.  Allow plenty of time for the inspection.  If you are planning to join us for the reception following the funeral, be sure to get a funeral pass from the guard so that you can return to Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall.  (Note:  Passes are color coded; they are only good for the day they are issued and must be returned to the gate guard upon re-entry.)  Then, ask the guard at the gate to direct you to the Old Post Chapel.  

Reception
Hosted by the McCotter/Bohren Family
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
4:30-6:30pm
Ft. Myer Officers' Club
Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall
(Hors d'Oeuvres, Beverages, and a Cash Bar)

Map courtesy of http://www.jbmhhmwr.com/index/Maps_and_Directions.html

Cooter's Memorial Bar Tour
Organized by Nate
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
7:00-10:00pm
Including the following locations:
The Front Page
Tortilla Coast
Cantina Marina
The Rocket
McFadden's or Murphy's
Nick's
...more to follow
**Look for the event on Facebook.

Billy's Obituary

I thought I'd share the link to Billy's obituary.  It printed today in our hometown newspaper.

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William Joseph McCotter Bohren
Article Last Updated: Friday, February 18, 2011 12:03am


Durango native William Joseph McCotter Bohren died after a three-month battle with gastric cancer Sunday, Dec. 26, 2010, at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C. He was 26.

Known as “Billy” or “Will McCotter,” he was born to Jill and Mike McCotter on Oct. 14, 1984, in Durango. His father died when he was 21 months old, and his mother remarried to Ken Bohren, who later adopted the four McCotter children.


Mr. McCotter attended Needham Elementary, Miller Middle School and Durango High School, graduating in 2003. While growing up in Durango, he worked for Mama’s Boy Restaurant, Walmart and Servicemaster Cleaning.


Mr. McCotter enlisted in the Army after graduation. As a paratrooper with the 82nd Airborne, he deployed to Iraq on a nine-month tour in 2003 and received a Purple Heart for a combat wound. Shortly after his return to the U.S. in 2004, Mr. McCotter deployed again, for three months to Afghanistan.


In January 2005, he transferred to the Old Guard and served as a squad leader in Alpha Company, where he received a Meritorious Service Medal.


After four years with the Old Guard, he transferred to Fort Rucker, Ala., was promoted to warrant officer and entered flight school. On Sept. 2, 2010, he graduated as a UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter pilot. Mr. McCotter planned to take leave and then transfer to a unit in Hawaii. Because of the onset of his cancer, he never flew a single mission, and he never made it to Hawaii.


“Billy’s family and friends knew him as a caring listener who paid attention to details,” his family wrote. “He loved having fun and somehow managed to pull off quite a few surprises. ... He was just good at what he did.”


They said friends from the Army describe him as a leader, friend and role model.


Mr. McCotter is survived by his parents, Ken and Jill (McCotter) Bohren of Durango; brothers Chris McCotter and Danny Bohren, both of Durango, and Robert “Bobby” McCotter of Loveland; sister, Michelle McCotter, of State College, Pa.; one nephew; and several aunts, uncles and cousins.


A memorial service will be held from 3 to 5 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 26, 2011, in the gymnasium at Durango High School. The Rev. Mark Lawson will officiate.


Visitation will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. Monday, March 28, 2011, at Murphy Funeral Home, 4510 Wilson Blvd. in Arlington, Va. An Old Guard funeral with full military honors will take place at 3 p.m. Tuesday, March 29, 2011, at Arlington National Cemetery.


In lieu of flowers, memorial or funeral contributions may be sent to the William McCotter Memorial Fund, Vectra Bank, Durango Branch, 1101 East Second Ave., Durango, CO 81301; or a PayPal account at wills.hope.2010@gmail.com.


Visit http://billy-cooter-mccotter.blogspot.com for more of Mr. McCotter’s story.

More Ninja Stories

Sometime in October, I posted some stories about Billy's knack for surprising people, sort of like a ninja (they're there and gone before you know it). A few people wrote back with some stories of their own, and I thought I'd share.  Also, after the stories, you'll find information regarding Billy's Memorial and Funeral.  We are trying to get a rough headcount for both events, so if you think you might attend, would you please scroll down to the brief survey and fill it out?

From Erin (Colorado)
As the title implies, this is a story of how Billy pulled a fast one on me almost nine years ago. He'll enjoy it; I know he will. So I was begging my parents for a bassett hound puppy and they kept saying no. This went on for months and months so I lost all hope in getting my first puppy. It was February of 2002, and Brian (my brother) was graduating basic training in Fort Bliss, OK. My whole family went, and we had asked Billy to stay at the house and watch my parents 'dog for them. He willingly abliged. Upon my arrival home from OK, I walked into the house and saw this cute little puppy, thinking it was Billy's. I asked him when he got it and he told me that it wasn't his; he was just watching it for someone. Still, no lightbulb had come on that it might just be mine. So I continued to play and snuggle with the puppy, still not thinking anything of it. Then I asked him just who he was watching it for, and he said me! I looked at him, then at my parents, and they were both nodding their heads. I was shocked! I just kept looking at everyone to make sure no one was changing their minds. Ha! That puppy was mine and it was from Billy! That is one of the greatest gifts a person can get it--their first dog--and it was from someone who means the world to me! I still don't know how he was able to convince my parents or when he would have ever had the time. He and I were the best of friends and we were together all the time. So how I never found out the secret I shall never know. Another funny tidbit is he had to keep him hidden in your family's camper for a few days because your mom didn't allow dogs in the house, and I wasn't gone to OK yet. I bet she didn't know that!

From Rob (New York)
I have a couple of stories...

1. After adding me to his cell phone plan, I broke my cell phone. After work one day, I magically had a new phone.
2. Once, I lost my dog tags and didn't know how to get new ones. The next day, Will bought me a new set, even though he made me do push-ups for them... I never told him that he got my blood type wrong.

From Kelsey (Virginia)
All the boys have always teased me relentlessly for being a vegetarian.  From the jokes when we'd go out to eat, "Kelsey wants a steak!" to Tyler putting bacon grease in my eggs after we had all spent a "family" Thanksgiving together--they never stopped.

One summer weekend, we all went over to Will's apartment for burgers and beer. I came to expect the usual harassment but I never expected someone to actually try to be accommodating. I could tell Will had something up his sleeve and then it came out.

Casually, he goes, "Hey, I got you some turkey burgers."

I paused, not knowing what to do because he was so serious, but I thought maybe this was the joke on me part.

"Uhhh...." I stammered.... "Turkey burgers?"

"Yeah," he said confidently and then he rubbed it in, "since you're a 'vegetarian'," and he grinned that grin of his.

I busted up laughing. "Coot!  I think you were thinking of veggie burgers!  Turkey burgers aren't vegetarian!!"

I think he proceeded to ask me something along the lines of why I didn't just eat normal burgers. :)

Everyone had a great laugh, but I was so touched that he had tried to get me something special that I 'almost' ate a non-vegetarian turkey burger anyway.

From Halley (Texas)
So I met Will back in February while visiting my sister Amy and her husband Ross at Fort Rucker. (Ross flys Apaches). During the time my sister lived at Fort Rucker, she became close friends with Nathan and Melissa. Melissa and Amy decided to play match-maker (Millionaire Matchmaker was their favorite show on Bravo) and thought that me and Will would really hit it off. Low and behold, we did! We went out every night I was there and had such a great time together. Soon it was time for me to head back to Texas and I was definitely dreading leaving. Will and I had dinner together my last night in Alabama and we said our goodbyes. I woke up the next morning to a text message from Will at around 6am: he told me to make sure that I check out Amy's front porch before I headed home. I told Amy and she immediately ran out her front door. She came back in with the most beautiful orange roses (my favorite) tied together with twine. In her other hand was a glass bottle with a note inside. I was so surprised and dumbfounded!! Will and I were out pretty late the night before and he texted me so early in the morning. To this day, I still have no clue how he managed to find the roses and come up with the message in a bottle in such a short amount of time. I don't even remember telling him that I loved orange flowers! Will definitely has a special way with people and it is a memory I will cherish forever.

Billy's Memorial
The memorial will be at Durango High School on Saturday, February 26, from 3:00-5:30pm.  (If you are interested in helping in any way, please indicate so on the survey below.)

Billy's Funeral
Billy loved DC, and his favorite time of year was when the cherry trees were in bloom, so we have scheduled his funeral during that time of year.  The viewing will be on Monday, March 28, 2011, from 6:00-8:00pm.  The funeral will be at Arlington National Cemetery on Tuesday, March 29 at 3:00pm.  We will post more details later.

One of Billy's pictures of DC...

Memorial or Funeral Contributions...
...can be sent to...

Vectra Bank, Durango Branch
FOR William "Billy" McCotter Bohren
1101 E. 2nd Ave.
Durango, CO  81301

Please make checks payable to the William McCotter Memorial Fund.

We are trying to plan well for the Memorial and Funeral.  If you have time and are willing, please complete the brief survey below.  It will help us in planning.

Thanks for everything!